Dinosaurs, Geology and epic running!!!

250+KMs of running!

Monday, March 18, 2013

Join us on March 28th at the Bridgehead Roastery for your
chance to hear Ray Zahab & two i2P Youth Ambassadors share their
stories & experiences in pushing themselves to their limits and learning about cultures from around the world.

Then it was on to some Gobi training with Ferg!!

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Friday, March 08, 2013

From the February Issue of iRun Magazine**

A detailed plan will get you to the finish lineBy Ray Zahab

Each year, I commit to completing a few significant expeditions, including youth-based programs with impossible2Possible
(i2P), as well as my own crazy adventures running across some remote
part of the globe. For example, i2P’s Expedition Utah has us joining the
Youth Ambassadors in running a marathon a day for seven days across
some of the most rugged terrain any i2P team has ever attempted. In
addition, i2P teammate Ferg Hawke and I will attempt to run across the
Gobi Desert at its widest point in summer – approximately 2,000 km –
with limited support this June.

No one is born with all of the skills and habits needed for these
sorts of adventures - every one of them requires making changes and
commitments that I believe help me to achieve my own personal goals. Any
runner will tell you that our goals are progressive; we all make
commitments and set goals in the hopes of achieving a desired outcome.
So how do we get there?

You need to map out a plan.

1. Be Realistic

The key to success in any plan is being realistic about the steps in
this plan. One of the greatest benefits of training so many incredibly
driven people towards achieving their personal goals – whether it be
running their first 5K or running across an entire continent – are the
lessons I learn from all of them about how to best take these
steps. These lessons come from every session, program or outcome –
lessons like resiliency and flexibility.

2. Be resilient

Resiliency in training means remembering that nothing is achieved
overnight. Most of us know this, but in our low points it can be
diffiult to remember! Some of the greatest rewards will come from the
sheer will to forge ahead in the toughest of times, pushing through the
moments when breaking down seems like the easier alternative. I have
always said “some of our greatest challenges are 90% mental...and the
other 10% is in our head.” The ability to be resilient and not get into a
‘negative funk’ during training will be what carries your training to
the next phase.

3. Be flexible

Being flexible in training can mean so many things. It can obviously
be literal, meaning to be more limber! But in this sense, I mean that
while it’s essential to have goals, if injury, exhaustion or even
sickness, are seen as a failure, there’s not enough flexibility in your
plan. You need to be able to bend around these occurrences and modify
the plan if need be. During World War II, Churchill once said, “Never,
ever, ever, ever give up.” This doesn’t mean being rigid and sticking to
the plan to the detriment of the end goal. It means making positive
decisions to modify plans in the short term, while always being
cognizant of your end goal, in order to ensure your future success.

When I am formulating programs for people, I ask them not only for
their end goals, but also for the smaller – but no less important -
changes and commitments that they are willing to make. Then we recreate
their programs around keeping those commitments. I mainly do this
because by completing their goals and fulfilling their commitments, they
are more likely to feel empowered to take the next steps in their
training. And when people encounter challenges and setbacks that forces
them to demonstrate resiliency and flexibility, success is even
sweeter!

It promises to be an unforgettable evening, which will include a
fabulous LIVE and silent auction, with all proceeds going toward i2P's
Youth Expedition Utah 2013! Silent auction items include: his and hers
Canada Goose jackets, Oakley sunglasses, NHL memorabilia, running &
adventure gear, a spa package, Sens tickets, and so much more!

Ferg
Hawke and I have been training very hard this past year for our
upcoming attempt to run across the Gobi Desert.

The run will take usacross Mongolia and
into China! Our journey will be a minimum of 2,000km, and the way our
exciting route is shaping up, it seems as if we are adding mileage to
the route daily! Our goal is to cross at the widest point possible and it
will be very remote.

We will rely on minimal daily resupplies (we will
be unreachable at some points) and will try to manage 80km per day in
our attempt.

More exciting news to follow, including the passionate film
crew following us and special announcements! Stay Tuned!!!!

It seems I always start everything with....sorry it has taken me so long to write!

I have been away in Guatemala filming/hosting a new reality series
titled The Project for the past 8 weeks. More about that in the future,
but it will air on major networks this fall!!!

I am excited to
announce the upcoming Youth Expedition this May to Utah! Be sure to
follow our incredible Youth Team as they run an average of a marathon
per day in the Grand Staircase, navigating this remote wilderness.

The
subject of Expedition Utah will be Dinosaurs and Geology...who doesn't
dig that? No pun intended!